About Spicara smaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Spicara smaris reaches a maximum total length of 20 centimetres (8 inches), though a more common maximum size is 15 centimetres (6 inches). This fish has a more slender body shape than its close relative the blotched picarel (Spicara maena), and can be distinguished from that species by 75–81 scales along its lateral line, compared to 68–70 scales in S. maena. Its back is grey-brown, and it has silvery flanks with a large black spot located above the tip of the pectoral fin. Males are usually larger than females, and have small blue spots scattered across their dorsal and anal fins. This species is native to the subtropical eastern Atlantic Ocean, covering the coasts of Portugal, the Canary Islands, and Morocco, as well as the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. It typically inhabits seagrass meadows and areas over sandy and muddy seabeds. Its usual depth range is 15 to 170 metres (49 to 558 feet), though it has been recorded at 328 metres (1,076 feet) in the eastern Ionian Sea. Spicara smaris is a popular food fish in parts of southern Italy, Dalmatia, and Greece. In Dalmatia, salted picarel called slana gira is a popular preparation. It is one of the five most frequently caught fish species in Cyprus. In Greece and Cyprus, picarel (locally called marida) is generally battered and fried, and eaten whole including the head, tail, and bones.
